1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel soybean milk containing malonylisoflavone glycosides in a ratio of 70% or higher to the total isoflavone compounds in the soybean milk.
2. Description of Related Art
The quality, particularly the flavor of soybean milk obtained by grinding soybeans and removing solid matter from the slurry has great influences on the quality of soybean milk-related products prepared therefrom, such as tofu (soybean curd), beverages and desserts.
The flavor that is the most problematical for soybean milk-related products is the beany flavor. Such miscellaneous tastes as acridness and astringency are also of concern.
Influences on these unfavorable flavors or tastes being attributed to the enzyme system of soybeans, various methods for preparing soybean milk under conditions which inhibit the enzymes have been studied.
It has turned out that soybeans, a raw material of soybean milk, contain isoflavone compounds, i.e., daidzin, glycitin, genistin, acetyldaidzin, and acetylgenistin, and their agricons, i.e., daizein, glycitein, and genistein. In recent years, existence of malonylisoflavone glycosides such as malonyldaidzin and malonylgenistin in soybeans has been confirmed, and these malonylisoflavone glycosides have turned out to constitute the main proportion of soybean isoflavone compounds.